MCLEAN COUNTY, Ky. (7/19/13) – The McLean County Fire Department has received a new $13,044 FEMA grant which will allow them to purchase new, much needed equipment and assist in the department’s ability of the scene of an emergency, according to central Division Fire Chief jimmy VanCleeve.

“Grant money is pulled from one of three different pots,” said VanCleeve. “You have Operations and Safety Grants, Recruitment and Retention Grants, and Prevention Grants. This grant money is funded by an Operations and Safety Grant.”

This year’s grant will be used to purchase a new $9,000 thermal imaging camera and 8 pagers for the Southern District Fire Department, based in Sacramento.

“This new equipment will greatly enhance our abilities on scene,” said Southern District Fire Chief Chris Ellis. “The new camera will allow us to identify hotspots and eliminate the possibilities of rekindles and callbacks to the scene.”

According to Ellis, the new camera will also allow firefighters to identify persons trapped in a burning building and to be able to extract them as safely as possible.

The remainder of the grant money after the purchase of the camera will be used to purchase eight new pagers for department personnel.

“The old pagers worked on a low band system,” said Ellis. “These new pagers work on a high band system, and they work one hundred percent better.”